1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a pedal device used for a keyboard instrument such as an electronic piano or an electronic organ.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, keyboard instruments such as electronic pianos are structured to include an instrument case provided with a keyboard section, a leg section supporting the instrument case, and a pedal device which is provided in the leg section and positioned below the instrument case.
As a pedal device of a keyboard instrument such as that described above, a pedal device is known in which a fulcrum hole serving as a fulcrum section is provided in the instrument main body that holds the pedal, and a fulcrum shaft section is provided on the back end portion of the pedal so as to project rearward, as described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (Kokai) Publication No. 07-219542. The fulcrum shaft portion of the pedal is inserted into the fulcrum hole of the instrument main body, whereby the pedal is held so as to rotate in the up-down direction with respect to the instrument main body.
In a conventional pedal device such as this, when the depth of the keyboard section of the electronic piano is shortened and the depth of the instrument case is shortened thereby, the position of the pedal comes too close to the player. Therefore, the pedal is required to be shifted to the back side under the instrument case, or the length of the pedal in the front-back direction is required to be shortened.
However, merely shifting the pedal to the back of the instrument case as in the former instance may cause the pedal device to protrude from the back of the instrument case. Therefore, there is a problem in that the installation space of the overall instrument cannot be reduced even when the depths of the keyboard section and the instrument case are shortened.
Also, when the length of the pedal in the front-back direction is simply shortened as in the latter instance, the lengths of the fulcrum portion of the pedal and the front end portion of the pedal are shortened. Accordingly, when the pedal is depressed and the stroke of the pedal in the downward direction and the stroke of the pedal in the upward direction are the same, the rotation angle in the up-down direction of the pedal increases. Therefore, there is a problem in that the player feels an uncomfortable operational feeling when he or she performs the depressing operation of the pedal, and so cannot perform pedaling operations comfortably.